WATCH: They were all born at an Edmonton hospital but now live across western Canada. As Kim Smith reports, it was only recently many of them realized they were related and several of 10 half-siblings met in person for the first time.

When Janice Carlson-McLeod, 63, was growing up, she never knew what it was like to have siblings.

“It sort of hasn’t sunk in with me yet. It’s something that’s so foreign to me, never having siblings that it’s hard to grasp,” the Edmonton woman said.

“To go from being an only child for 63 years to suddenly being one of 10.”

Carlson-McLeod was adopted as a baby. Earlier this year, her daughter Amanda Bounds submitted her DNA for testing, which revealed her mom had two biological sisters.

LISTEN BELOW: Carlson-McLeod talks about how she felt learning she had siblings

“It kind of got the ball rolling at that point. Then my mom did her DNA test and then they started talking,” Bounds said. “I’m saying ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’ and it’s never been there. So for me, it’s been a huge thing.”

Through the Ancestry DNA website and by speaking to relatives, the half-sisters learned their biological mother gave birth to 10 kids. Five of the children were raised by their mother, who has since passed away.

On Sept. 19, three of the half-sisters met in person for the first time for lunch at a south Edmonton restaurant. Global News interviewed the group of women at the end of their lunch date.

“Being alone all your life. Not having siblings… It’s a good experience,” Monique Andrews, 62, said.

She was born at Edmonton’s Misericordia Community Hospital and adopted as a baby. Andrews now lives in Campbell River, B.C.

Brenda Weintz, 67, was also born at the Misericordia, adopted as a baby and now lives in Armstrong, B.C. She did her DNA test a couple of years ago and recently made the connection that she is part of a group of 10 half-siblings.

“I’m quite shy and I kind of kept to myself all my life and it’s kind of hard for me to actually meet new people. But my son and my daughter-in-law insisted,” Weintz said. “You get into your sixties. You’re set in your ways and used to being alone all the time.”

“Now, all of sudden, you have family and you just kind of think, ‘Wow, what do you do now?'”

Tim Hoffman, Rennie Hoffman, and Pat Chorney, along with two other siblings, were born in Edmonton and raised together in Vancouver. They said their mother didn’t tell them she had other children.

Tim Hoffman, 52, who lives in Surrey, B.C. said he only learned in September that DNA testing revealed he had half-sisters.

“I just got home from work, sat down and I got a call saying, ‘You’ve got to call me ASAP.’ I go on Facebook, talking with my sister-in-law, and she says, ‘You’ve got five more sisters,’ and I’m like, ‘What?'” Hoffman said. “It’s shocking to me. Ten kids, that’s a lot.”

“I’m happy to know that I do have family out there,” Rennie Hoffman said from his home in Surrey.

“I’m a little shocked,” said Chorney from her home in Winnipeg. “Knowing that I got sisters when I was the only one of all the boys.”

At the time of publishing, Global News was not able to contact the other half-siblings.

Watch below: Imagine growing up without any brothers or sisters, then deciding to take a DNA test and the results turn up nine siblings you never knew you had. The test kit cost $100 but how reliable is DNA testing? Kim Smith reports.

How accurate are DNA tests?

DNA testing kits are now more affordable and easier to use than they’ve been ever been. On its website, Ancestry DNA says it has more than 10 million people in its database and advertises its kit for $129 CDN.

Other DNA websites, such as 23andMe, advertise a Thanksgiving special for $79 CDN.

“Almost every client is taking a DNA test or is interested in taking one,” Colleen Murray, a professional genealogist in Edmonton, said.

“It’s a normal step in the genealogical process now.”

Murray said almost all of her clients have taken a DNA test or have the intention of doing so. She said new guidelines from the Board for Certification of Genealogists stipulate DNA is necessary to prove a relationship.

“Not only do we have to consult paper, but we have to use DNA,” she said. “It’s not going to go away now that these tests are so available.”

Tests will show how much DNA you share with another person, which is measured in centiMorgan. Generally, the more DNA you share with a person, the higher the number will be. For example, a half-sibling will share on average 1,800 centiMorgan.

“If you’re matching someone — fifth or sixth cousin — it’s possible they’re not a match to you, but you’re matching with them by coincidence. But if you have a close match — fourth cousin or less — I would estimate you’re definitely related. You might not know how, but you’re definitely related.”

Murray said before doing a DNA test, families have to be prepared to discover secrets.